Getting ready for Thursday Game

Packer reserves better buckle up tight this week, it should give us a better idea of just how deep of a team we really have against the other team starters if the article holds true, well at least on Defense.

Thursday brings Exhibition Game 3 for Jacksonville (1-1), and a trip to Green Bay should provide the clearest look yet at any offseason improvements made by Jacksonville's offense.

After struggling against Tampa Bay's top defense Saturday in a 31-19 victory, the Jags' No. 1 offense will play the better part of three quarters against the Packers (2-0), Coach Jack Del Rio said. However, there's a caveat.

Starting RG Chris Naeole will sit out with his mildly sprained knee, and the Jags are moving starting LG Vince Manuwai to the right side to replace Naeole. In for Manuwai comes rookie Uche Nwaneri. He was a fifth-round pick out of Purdue.

C Dennis Norman continues to fill in for injured starting C Brad Meester, whose return is expected to come in the first month of the season.

Real returners resting

RB Maurice Jones-Drew is going to be the Jags' kickoff returner, and WR Dennis Northcutt is going to return punts. Neither player has a return in the preseason, and that trend is going to hold for at least another week.

"We're just preparing our football team for the season and doing all that we need to do to get that done," Del Rio said.

Translation: The Jags want to find backups at those spots to help them evaluate players as cut days come. The first cuts come Saturday.

The Jags list the injury to second-year DT Tony Gilbert as a sprained knee but have not said how serious. It appears more serious than a one-game absence. Gilbert walked slowly through the Jags' complex Tuesday with the aid of crutches and a large knee brace. Gilbert was one of eight players who did not practice Tuesday, including DE Brian Smith, who's still on the physically unable to perform list and almost certainly will spend the season on injured reserve because of his bad hip.

Thanks for the info, Pack93z. My one beef with our usual announcers, Harlan and Gannon (who otherwise do a pretty good job) is that they tell us very little about the opposing team's substitutions, so I often don't know the caliber of players our guys are playing against.